China is the largest emerging market in the world. It is also on the front lines of health diplomacy, where the tools of diplomatic statecraft are being employed by public health professions of both the US and China to help improve the practice of public health. This article examines the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) and the US Centers for Control and Prevention (US CDC) in China, describes critical features of the Chinese health system, presents two examples of US-China collaborations, and describes common management mechanisms and strategies supporting both. This examination will help inform other global health collaborations between the US and China as well as lessons for supporting global health collaborations in other middle income countries.

China is the largest emerging market in the world. It is also on the front lines of health diplomacy, where the tools of diplomatic statecraft are being employed by public health professions of both the US and China to help improve the practice of public health. This article examines the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) and the US Centers for Control and Prevention (US CDC) in China, describes critical features of the Chinese health system, presents two examples of US-China collaborations, and describes common management mechanisms and strategies supporting both. This examination will help inform other global health collaborations between the US and China as well as lessons for supporting global health collaborations in other middle income countries.